Atlanta Falcons Legend Michael Vick Heading Back to School

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is now the head football coach at Norfolk State University.

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is now officially the next head coach at Norfolk State University. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is returning to the college football ranks.

Vick was officially introduced Monday as the head coach at Norfolk State University, just half an hour from where the Newport News, Va., native grew up.

The 44-year-old Vick has no coaching experience, but during his introductory press conference Monday, he underscored his passion and optimism in leading Norfolk State's program -- along with the responsibility he takes in leading an HBCU program.

"I understand the value of an HBCU," Vick said. "The fact that it is in my hometown makes it even better. And so, it’s a great admiration for HBCUs, the NFL has numerous partnerships with HBCUs, so I think it shows that people care.

"You’ve got these big time Division I programs where they’ve got all these amazing things, bells and whistles, money, and they tend to forget about the HBCUs and the schools that have the same type of prominence, and so, to start here, it wasn’t even by design."

The Falcons drafted Vick at No. 1 overall in 2001. He played in 74 games with 67 starts across six years in Atlanta, three of which ended in Pro Bowl nods while two saw him finish in the top five in MVP voting. His tenure ended in 2007 after pleading guilty to being involved in a dog fighting ring, which resulted in 21 months in federal prison.

Vick, now an advocate for animal rights, returned to the NFL for seven years after the initial incident, making stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The next stop for Vick? Norfolk State -- and leading the Spartans in their new era.